


The Dangers of Plumbing

by gigizazu



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Drabble, Gen, Nick is a sad bab, Severe hand injury, and people are sometimes mean to him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-27
Updated: 2015-11-27
Packaged: 2018-05-03 14:19:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5294426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gigizazu/pseuds/gigizazu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He got used to it, in time but he always remembered the lesson learned that day. Some people were never going to forgive him for what he was.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Dangers of Plumbing

There were worse jobs in the world than Diamond City handyman. In fact, Nick figured he had it pretty good, comparatively. Most synths had a life span of a few days tops. He’d been alive and kicking for a year or so now, and was only occasionally mugged in an alley.  
He often remind himself of this during the long hours spent half way up a building, trying to repair a power panel with nothing but a wrench and a screwdriver. He thought of the dozens of broken synths he’d seen littering the wastes whenever someone spat on him or threw an insult his way. He thought about the real Nick Valentine, lying dead and cold in the ground somewhere whenever they cornered him outside of the view of security and beat him. Through all of it, he kept his temper and didn’t strike back. He had it good. He had no right to complain, or be angry.  
Even he had his limits though.

It was late one afternoon. A cold persistent drizzle of rain had driven most people off the streets. Nick had just finished fixing a light for Takahashi, then pretending to eat a bowl of noodles. The poor bot only knew how to show affection with food these days. In his damaged state he couldn’t process the fact that Nick didn’t eat. So Nick took the bowl smiling, and mimed eating before passing it off to a hungry looking man curled under an awning. As he walked through the market he was stopped by the sound of his name.

“Nick! Oh Nick!”

He turned towards the sound, hunching his shoulders a little. He knew that voice. It was Myrna, the woman who ran one of the local general stores. She had a special dislike of Synths, and had been nothing but cruel to Nick since his arrival. He regarded her sudden friendliness with suspicion as she walked over, smiling broadly.

“Nick. If you have a minute I could really use your help.” She said.

“Sure Myrna.” He said, trying to bite back his distrust. Perhaps she’d decided to give him a chance. A lot of people were starting to treat him more kindly. “Of course I’ll help. What’s the job.”

“Well there’s something stuck in my sink.” She said “And I’m kind of a coward when it comes to gross things. Would you mind reaching in there and pulling it out? It’ll only take a sec and I’ll give you 30 caps.”

Nick relaxed. It’d be an easy job, which he’d gladly have done for free, if only to show Myrna he wasn’t what she thought he was. He nodded eagerly and followed her inside.

Big Mistake.

“There doesn’t seem to be anything clogging the sink.” He mumbled, “It’s draining fine.” He stuck his hand down into the plumbing. “And I don’t feel any-“

He heard it before he felt it. A horrible metallic scraping sound, like an angry growl coming from the pipe. Less than a second later the pain hit him. Screaming he pulled his mangled hand from the blades of the garbage disposal. He cradled the arm close making pained moans. His fingers were bent in every direction, and the soft silicon of his flesh had been torn to ribbons.

Behind him Myrna was shouting.

“Help! Help! The synth is going to kill me! Help!”

By the time Nick turned around Security had shown up, guns raised and aimed at his head. They lowered them when they saw he was injured and Myrna was not.

“What’s going on here?” demanded one of them.

Nick tried to respond but his pain sensors were taking up so much processing power, he was having trouble forming words.  
Myrna took advantage of his silence.

“He came in to attack me and I defended myself.” She spluttered.

“What happened to his hand?” said the Security Officer flatly.

“It…”

“Garbage disposal.” Nick said through gritted teeth.

“So.” Said the Security Officer “Nick came here to attack you, and he just happened to stick his hand down the sink so you could turn on your garbage disposal?”

“Well.” Myrna’s face was beet red.

“Myrna you’re going to have to come with us.” As he reached for her, Myrna lept back.

“You’re really going to take his word over mine! This this this... this spy!” 

“Myrna don’t make this difficult.” Said the guard in a low voice. He grabbed her arm, twisting it behind her back.

“Forget it.” Said Nick. “Let her go.”

The guards looked at him in surprise.

“Nick, you.. you sure?” asked the one holding Myrna.

“Yeah just… forget it.” Nick waved his non-damaged hand “I can just repair myself. Let her go. It’s fine.”

He wasn’t able to fix himself as it turned out. The damage was too severe, and he had no replacement parts. The best he could do was disconnect the sensors still in the ‘meat’ of his hand and remove it completely, leaving nothing but a metallic skeleton behind. He got used to it, in time but he always remembered the lesson learned that day.

Some people were never going to forgive him for what he was.


End file.
